Former VJ Shenaz Treasury breaks silence on MTV shutdown: It was my whole world | EXCLUSIVE
Former VJ Shenaz Treasury has reacted emotionally to MTV shutting down after 40 years, calling it "my whole world." The actress and host reminisced about her MTV days, saying the channel shaped her career and youth. Read Shenaz's heartfelt reaction and nostalgic memories here!
New Delhi: As MTV prepares to pull the plug on its iconic music channels after nearly four decades, nostalgia has swept through fans and former VJs who once defined the channel’s golden era. Among them is Shenaz Treasury, one of the most recognisable faces from MTV’s heyday, who has now reflected on the closure with a mix of emotion and acceptance.
According to recent reports, MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live will officially go off-air on 31 December 2025. The decision, announced by Paramount Global, comes as part of a $500 million cost-cutting plan following its merger with Skydance Media. The shutdown will impact multiple international markets, including Australia, France, Poland, and Brazil, while MTV HD will reportedly continue airing reality-based shows.
Shenaz Treasury reacts to MTV shutting down
In an exclusive conversation with News9Live, Shenaz Treasury opened up about her time at MTV and why the channel’s closure feels both bittersweet and inevitable. "MTV is shutting down. But honestly, I think I mourned it a long time ago,” she said.
For Shenaz, MTV was far more than a job. "It was my whole world. I started when I was a teenager, and for years it was my playground, my education, my family, my identity. But somewhere around 2003, it started changing. It became more of a mass channel, started doing reality shows, and that’s when most of us OGs quietly drifted away,” she explained.
The Ishq Vishq actress and travel vlogger recalled how the transformation of MTV from a youth-driven, creative hub to a mainstream reality channel marked the end of an era. "I remember feeling genuinely sad for years after that. It felt like losing a part of myself, almost like a death, because MTV was my first ever job. I grew up with it, learned everything I know about storytelling and performance from it,” she added.
Reflecting on how entertainment has evolved, Shenaz noted that the energy of MTV has simply migrated to newer platforms. "Today, the new MTVs are Instagram and YouTube. That same energy, that same DIY creativity, just lives in a different form now,” she shared, adding that her fellow VJs, Maria Goretti, Mini Mathur, Cyrus Sahukar, and Cyrus Broacha, continue to create content in their own unique ways.
‘MTV in those days was very DIY’
"I actually became an MTV VJ when I was still a teenager, and that chapter changed everything for me,” Shenaz recalled. "MTV in those days was very DIY. We didn’t just show up and read lines; we produced our own shows. That’s where I learned how to tell stories, how to create content, and how to connect with an audience.”
Shenaz Treasury began her career with MTV Networks Asia. She was a VJ on MTV's Most Wanted program and went on to make her acting debut in the 2001 Telugu film Eduruleni Manishi and gained fame with Ishq Vishq (2003). Today, she continues to inspire fans through her travel and lifestyle content.
(With inputs from Bharti Dubey,)